


I want to feel light again

by Writerofthelorde



Series: An assortment of first kisses [5]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Affection, Bisexual Sokka (Avatar), First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Get Together, Happy Ending, Hurt Zuko (Avatar), Hurt/Comfort, I Love You, Love Confessions, M/M, Mutual Pining, Oblivious Sokka (Avatar), Oblivious Zuko, Oblivious Zuko (Avatar), Pining, Tenderness, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, idiots to lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-16
Updated: 2020-09-16
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:09:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26500429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Writerofthelorde/pseuds/Writerofthelorde
Summary: Sokka very easily tells his friends that he loves them. There's one friend though, he doesn't say it to at all. It bothers Zuko so much that one day, he bursts.
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: An assortment of first kisses [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1928026
Comments: 14
Kudos: 404





	I want to feel light again

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone, this is the first fic I've written in months, so it's short and a bit rough, but I'm already working on more!

Sokka was always telling everyone around him that he loved them, except for Zuko. The reason for this was that Sokka simply loved him _so much_ he didn’t dare to say the words. He didn’t dare simply because he was at risk of slipping up. _I’m in love with you._ It was on his mind constantly, but he couldn’t just go around casually mentioning that, could he?

Zuko was hurt by the thought of not being good enough, of course. It kept floating around in his head and after a few weeks, he couldn’t think about anything else. It had been months by now.

At first, he had thought that Sokka didn’t love him at all, but his affection towards him proved him wrong, but then he started thinking that there was something wrong with him that stopped Sokka from loving him fully.

He tried to work himself up to saying it to him, instead of waiting for Sokka to say it first. He just wanted to see if he would say it back, but he found it too hard. It meant too much to him.

To be honest, he was king of a dumbass for not connecting those dots.

Eventually, after months of enduring it, he broke when Sokka said a casual “I love you” to Aang. It was just the three of them in the room and so he decided it didn’t really matter that they weren’t alone. It was just Aang after all. Aang wouldn’t get mad at him. He just had to let it out, and the fact that Aang could hear him wasn’t great for his anxiety but.. it just had to be that way.

“Why don’t you ever say that to me?” His tone was angrier than he had meant it. He hoped Sokka knew that it was simply because he was nervous.

“W-what?” Sokka’s eyes were wide. He was panicking and didn’t know what to say. Could he get himself out of this without giving his feelings away? Was he safe from a heartbreak?

“You’re always saying love yous to everyone..! Except not to me..” He swallowed rather heavily. This had been bothering him for so long. “…and I don’t get why, because we’re friends and I’d say we’re pretty close..! Don’t you-”

“Of course I lo- do!” Sokka cut him off too loudly. He was more nervous than he could explain with words. He wanted to tell him. He really did. But he just… couldn’t do it.

“See?! You can’t even say it now!”

The look on Zuko’s face was anything but angry, but his tone didn’t convey that. His tone was like he was pissed beyond belief. His face.. just looked sad.

Sokka rubbed a hand in his neck. “Can _you_ say it then? I’ve never heard you say it either.” He swallowed heavily. Maybe if he turned it around Zuko would leave him alone about it.

“That’s different! I never say those words to anyone. You say them all the time..! But just not to me…”

Shit. He was right and he knew it. His heart hurt as he realised what it looked like to Zuko. He had fucked up.

“Aang, could you-”

“Already leaving, Sokka.”

“Thanks Aang, I owe you one.”

Sokka sat Zuko down on the couch. He tried to just channel his inner rambling man to just simply get it over with, but the more he looked at Zuko, the more terrified he got. Eventually, he decided he couldn’t face him. He played with his hands in silence for minutes, until Zuko sighed and got up.

Sokka grabbed his hand. “Wait.”

Zuko waited impatiently.

“Please. Sit down.”

Zuko closed his eyes to calm himself and sat down to face him, one leg folded in front of him.

Sokka forced himself to face him too, but he couldn’t look him in the eye, instead, the started toying with Zuko’s cuffed pants. Uncuffing and recuffing.

“The thing is… I do.. uhh… feel that…”

Zuko was about to _actually_ get angry, his patience was running out. Except then Sokka placed one big, warm hand on his leg, and cut him off.

“Please, Zuko. I’m trying.”

Zuko sighed to calm himself down. He could do this. He had to.

Sokka breathed in deeply. Time to be brave.

“I just… I wanted it to be special.” He admitted with slumped shoulders. He went into it feeling ready to be brave, but as he heard himself admit it, he was overtaken by a wave of sadness.

He continued to play with the cuff of his pants in silence as he tried to work up the courage to come clean.

When he finally looked up his gaze was so passionate it made Zuko shiver.

“I do love you.” He licked his lips nervously. “I just am also… _in love_ with you.”

Zuko smiled with tears in his eyes, all the weight falling off his shoulders in a fraction of a second. Sokka silently observed him.

“Oh Sokka. I love you, too.”

There it was. Zuko thought. It had been so hard to get himself to say it too, but when it came to it.. it just came out without a second thought.

Sokka hesitated. “Like…”

Zuko didn’t waste another second, and just leapt forward and kissed him. With a hand in his neck, he pressed their lips together and then he backed away, but only slightly.

“Yes, like that.”

Sokka laughed relieved. “Yes!” He held his face and kissed him again. “Yes.” He murmured again but to his lips this time. “I love you.”

Zuko shivered. _Finally_.

He kissed him a little bit deeper this time, just because he could.

“I’m sorry,” Sokka whispered when they moved away from each other. “I didn’t mean to make you feel like I don’t love you. I do. I was just.. I know this is just a stupid excuse but I was just afraid that if I ever said _I love you_ casually that I would also just one day casually say, _I’m in love with you_ , even worse if I did that without realising.”

Zuko chuckled and shook his head.

“That’s no stupid excuse, Sokka. That’s just your reasoning.” He took his hand in his own. “In a way, it’s very similar to my own reasoning.”

Sokka moved closer and looked at him intently.

“How’s that?”

“Well, I never said it to you because it would just… mean too much. It’s not just a casual love like with the others…” He looked up to meet his eyes. “This is just… so strong… and I thought, if I say it, he’s gonna see right through me and know what I really mean.”

“Yeah, that is similar.” Sokka nodded. “I wouldn’t have though. You could’ve looked me in the eye and told me you love me more than anyone else and I still wouldn’t have connected the dots.”

Zuko grimaced. “Agni, yeah me too.”

They laughed together, their foreheads pressed against the other, and for the first time in months, both young men felt light. Light and ready for the future. Together.


End file.
